Homework

1. Describe how sampling is used creatively

Instead of recording traditional instruments for a long take that would last the whole track, Close uses short sampled sounds of drum hits, guitar stabs, piano notes and vocals triggered using a sequencer. The band used non-musical samples such as car engines, breaking glass, vocals and breaths to create rhythms.

Compared to the many smooth seamless hits of the 1980s, the band focussed on the opposite - abrupt editing, obvious looping and sudden stops. This editing style became part of the track’s identity hence the name ‘Close (to the Edit)’. The focus is on the rhythm and the groove as opposed to melody and harmony.

The car sounds such as the revving engine and car-crash like noises were sampled then sequenced like percussion providing an industrial mechanical feel.

2. Refer to specific musical and production techniques used in the track

Sampling techniques such as one shot, stuttering, layering, reversing, pitch mapping and pitch-shifting have all been applied.

The sample stuttering production technique is used on ‘Hey’ and ‘Dum’, triggered like percussion, becoming one of the song’s most noticeable aspects. These samples have been pitch mapped (to be triggered across a keyboard) and rapidly repeated resulting in stuttering.

The Intro uses pitched guitar stab samples and a pitch mapped car revving with some of the lower pitched samples stopping suddenly. After the first vocal ‘Hey’ sample, the abruptly edited staccato orchestral stabs come in (0:20) , followed by the heavily edited and syncopated looped drum sample (0:32). The ‘Hey’ sample is sequenced to be a reversed version into a forward ‘Hey’ (0:38), creating a more powerful impact.

The ‘Dum’ vocal sample (0:47) starts mid pitch with little processing and progresses it’s way down to the lower notes whilst simultaneously layering a heavily processed (almost lower sample rate/bit depth) industrial version of the same sample. From 0:48, the short orchestral stabs and random metallic clangs and type-writer sounding ticks are synced and trigger on the back beat of 2 and 4, what would usually be a snare drum. The ‘Tra-La-La’ sample (0:54) ending the phrase, is taken from a 1940s Andrews Sisters track called Beer Barrel Polka. The notes have been pitch-shifted lower than the original.

3. Consider the technological developments that enabled sampling

Originally, sampling was explored in 1960s by bands such as the Beatles who used the Mellotron. This instrument used magnetic tape with long samples of pre-recorded sounds for each note but was limited in editing capabilities.

By 1979, sampling went digital with the release of the Fairlight CMI; the first commercial digital sampling synth. In the 1980s, bands such as Art of Noise used the Fairlight to record tiny snippets of audio and play back at different pitches by mapping across the keyboard. Several samples in Close are also from the Fairlight’s library of orchestral and percussive hits.

In 1988, the Akai MPC was the first soft-pad sampler, allowing users to record, edit and map audio to the large soft-pads. Devices such as this and the Akai S1000 revolutionised Hip Hop, providing producers with easy access to recording, storing and manipulating sounds.

By the end of the 1990s, improved computer processing power and storage allowed DAWs to become accessible to everyone. Producers can now record directly into a DAW using a laptop and the onboard sound-card. The development of advanced plugins allows complex editing and mapping of samples in minutes compared to the intricate editing on the first digital sampler CMI Fairlight.

4. Evaluate the cultural, artistic and legal implications of sampling on later music

Instead of traditional instruments or just using samples as background sound effects, the song is built around samples being chopped up and sequenced into something musical and artificial; the samples are the song. This sample based production with the focus on the rhythm and the groove went on to become the corner stone of modern electronic dance music and hip-hop.

In the 1990s, Big Beat Techno act The Prodigy took the vocal sample ‘Hey’ from Close and used it in their 1996 smash hit ‘FireStarter’. Taking even the briefest of samples from another’s work involves the legal aspect of the music industry, specifically Copyright, meaning the rights creators have over their artistic work. As a result, the Art of Noise members received song writing credits for ‘FireStarter’. Ironically Close instigated the concept of sampling others work without permission however several samples were taken from previous projects Trevor Horn had produced. Moby (Electronica), Jay Z (Hip Hop) and Fatboy Slim (big beat) also sampled the track.

The industrial and mechanic sounding creativity of Close went on to heavily influence 1990s industrial artists like Trent Reznor and his group Nine Inch Nails.

Specific techniques such as reversing samples especially a cymbal at the end of bar into a forward cymbal on beat one of the following bar became a major feature across all electronic/dance genres from the 1980s onwards, especially Trance.

With regard to image, when entertaining the media, the group adopted an anonymous approach wearing masks, clown outfits and doing interviews in silence. This concept has been taken to another level by Daft Punk’s space image and the Gorillaz who maintain anonymity using animated performers when playing live as well as in their music videos.